1909. 
1031 
“ EDUCATION ” FOR MILK CONSUMERS. 
The New York World prints an “agreement” which 
it says was made between the New York milk dealers 
and the New York Tribune to conduct an “educa¬ 
tional campaign.” Here is part of the alleged “agree¬ 
ment” : 
Wo, the undersigned, engaged in the milk trade, and 
naturally desirous of promoting the best interests of 
the industry, have consented to co-operate with the New 
York Tribune in the pursuance of an educational cam¬ 
paign, to be conducted in the columns of that influential 
journal, to the end that both public and press shall be 
set aright on the vital questions at issue between it and 
them: and, for the purpose of sharing the expenses at¬ 
tendant upon the publication of the proposed series of 
articles do hereby subscribe the sums set opposite our 
names. 
According to the figures the Tribune was to receive 
over $5,000 or $1 per line for this “service.” The 
plan of education was to attempt to show city people 
that the retail price of milk was too low, and that 
the great expense, to the dealers, of providing pure 
milk justified them in raising the price. They finally 
did raise the price one cent, and we saw last week 
where'the one cent extra per quart went to. 
We have also seen how the suggestion has been 
cunningly thrown out that the farmers were responsi¬ 
ble for the raise in milk prices—in fact that they are 
getting rich by holding up the consumers. That seems 
to be the scheme of this “educational campaign.”—the 
dealers to receive two-thirds of the increase and 
throw all the blame for it upon the farmers. This 
“agreement” shows another thing, and that is the way 
some of the papers stand ready to sell their very 
character and reputation if they can obtain money 
for it. In the old days of Horace Greeley the New 
York Tribune was the great champion of the farmers 
and plain people. Mr. Greeley would have grown 
violent in language and action at any suggestion of 
deceiving those who believed in him. Imagine his 
feelings now at this agreement to “educate” the 
people at the rate of one dollar per lyie! The kind of 
printer’s ink that you can buy is what gives the 
grafters their chance. The kind that you cannot 
buy is the only thing that will make them disgorge! 
A CALL TO MILK PRODUCERS. 
In the Sunday issue of The New York Times, October 31, 
we find the statement : -‘Milk up a cent; now nine cents a 
quart. Farmers raised prices. New contracts signed 
October 1 gave the producers a half cent more a quart over 
last Summer, making the price 4% cents a quart.’" Now, 
since we have the credit of controlling and raising the 
price of milk ; of receiving 4 cents last Summer and asking 
4% cents this Fall; placing the Borden people in a posi¬ 
tion where it is necessary for them to charge their cus¬ 
tomers nine cents a quart this Winter instead of eight 
cents, their regular, everyday, all-the-year price; since 
we have the credit of all this power and might, which 
really ought to be ours, why not come out boldly and at 
once, not scatlered farmers here and there, but everyone, 
and make this statement a fact, even to the extent of 
asking five cents a quart or more if it seems best? We 
are before the public as people of power and increasing 
wealth. Let us see how it feels to fulfill these conditions ! 
We are able to hold our own if we only use the means at 
hand to accomplish our purpose. The Dairymen’s League 
stands ready to do its part, but it needs the personal in¬ 
terest of every dairy farmer. Letting a few here and there 
try the experiment and waiting to see how it succeeds only 
puts off success and makes the battle harder for the few 
valiant ones to light. When you read how it costs more 
and more to handle the milk and make it sanitary, and 
not one word about the cost to the producer that has in¬ 
creased so rapidly all these last few years, not a word 
of the high prices of cows, of feed, of labor, no mention 
of the high price of meat, butter and other necessities the 
farmer must buy, how can you hold your peace and submit 
and still toil on as in the past? If such a statement given 
out to consumers as a reason for adding a cent a quart 
to the price they must pay-, making it nine cents for this 
Winter, will not arouse and force you to action,what will? 
Head the statement that beginning October 1 the milk 
companies had to give the farmers 4% cents a quart in¬ 
stead of four cents as the price had been since last Spring, 
and then take the prices at which you sold your milk 
month by month from April to October, and see if the 
average is not 2.73 cents instead of four, and 4.13 for this 
Fall and Winter instead of 4% cents as stated, and don’t 
ponder over it very long, but just say, “We’ll just take that 
4% cents or better,” and go ahead and get it. The con¬ 
sumers won't mind our having a share of that nine cents 
they pay. There is no time like the present. Figuring 
cut the average price from April, 1908, to April, 1909, we 
find it was only 3.342% cents a quart, and from April, 
1909, to April, 1910, it is 3.43 cents a quart, which you 
will see is a raise of a fraction (.08) of a cent a quart- 
Can you live on such a price as that? You perform the 
labor with increasing regulations as to equipment, etc., for 
a trifle over a third of the price paid by the consumer. 
How long? M. B. H. 
New York. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—A temporary restraining order was signed 
November 10 by Judge Holt of the T’nited States District 
Court on the motion of counsel for George Gordon Battle 
and II. Snowden Marshall, enjoining the American Sugar 
Refining Company and Gustav E. Kissel from paying over 
the $750,000 which the sugar trust agreed to pay to the 
Pennsylvania Sugar Refining Company or its receiver, 
George H. Earle, Jx"., in part settlement of the suit brought 
under the provisions of the Sherman act to recover 
$30,000,000 in triple damages for the closing of the Penn¬ 
sylvania company’s costly refinery in Philadelphia. The 
Pennsylvania Sugar Refining Company brought suit in this 
judicial district last Spring against the trust for securing 
control of its refinery in Philadelphia by means of a board 
of dummy directors and then closing it. The refinery 
was new and had never been operated. The trust secured 
control of the Pennsylvania company by means of a loan 
made to Adolph Segal of $1,250,000, with the stipulation 
that the trust was to have a controlling interest in the 
company until the loan was repaid. The Pennsylvania 
company charged that it was damaged to the amount of 
SI 0.000,000 by the closing of its refinery and under the 
Sherman act it was entitled to triple damages. . . . 
Mrs. Mary G. Baker Eddy has recently completed a family 
agreement with her son. Geo. W. Glover, and her adopted 
son. Ebenezer Foster Eddy, whereby the former receives 
$245,000, and the latter $45,000, both agreeing in con¬ 
sideration of these sums to forego all further claims upon 
her estate. . . . Allegations against the dishonest 
methods of the sugar trust increase in volume, and a Con¬ 
gressional inquiry seems imminent. In addition to frauds 
committed against the Government in the matter of 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
customs duties, a variety of other dishonest practices 
are alleged, showing astounding corruption. .Tames F. 
Bendernagel, the indicted superintendent of the sugar 
trust’s Williamsburg refinery, was arraigned before United 
States Commissioner Benedict in Brooklyn, November 15, 
and held in $5,000 for his appearance before the Federal 
court in the Southern District of New York. Bendernagel 
was arrested November 12, on an indictment returned on 
November 4 in the Southern District, a warrant having 
been sent to the Eastern District for execution. He 
handed in his resignation as general superintendent the day 
before he was arrested. The indictment returned against 
Bendernagel was a blanket one and included Oliver Spitzer, 
dock superintendent; Thomas Kehoe, Jean M. Voelker, 
Edward A. Boyle, John B. Coyle and Patrick J. Ilenncsy, 
weighers. It charged that at various times the seven men 
conspired to cheat the Government of duty on sugar im¬ 
portations from Cuba by causing false entries to be made 
on the books of the weighers from May to November, 1907. 
The specific charge against Bendernagel is that by con¬ 
spiring with others he caused a fraudulent entry to be 
made in the books of the weighers on August 24, 1907, 
tending to show that an importation of sugar weighing 
9,106,429 pounds weighed only 9,052,623 pounds. It made 
a difference in duty, according to the indictment, of 
$1,694.07. ... At Cherrv. a mining village on the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, seven miles north 
of Spring Valley, Ill., 384 men were killed in a burning 
mine, November 13. The fire originated in a stable in 
the second level or in the mule barns and was discovered 
by a miner named .lames Hanney, who gave the alarm. 
Little notice was taken of the warning until 3 o’clock, 
when a general alarm was given. Then it was too late, 
and the biggest mine disaster in the history of the State 
went on record. Besides the men dead in the mine a tend 
of twelve rescuers who volunteered to go down lost their 
lives- Miners say it will be many weeks before the dead 
can be reached. The mine is owned by the St. Paul Coal 
Company and was sunk six years ago when the new tow-n 
was placed on the map. Twelve bodies were taken from 
the mine before the mouth of the shaft was closed to 
check the flames. It is said that the disaster makes nearly 
a thousand orphans and leaves many families absolutely 
destitute. . . - Secret Service Agents under Chief 
William J. Flvnn rounded up in New York, November 15, 
14 counterfeiters who have been importing bad $5 and $2 
bills in olive oil cans from Italy and passing them in the 
larger cities of the East. Giuseppe Morello, a leader of 
the gang, is suspected of complicity in murder and black¬ 
mail cases. . • . Charles L. Warriner. former treas¬ 
urer of the Big Four Railroad in Cincinnati, was indicted 
by the Hamilton County Grand Jury at Cincinnati, O., 
November 15, on charges of embezzlement and grand 
larceny. The indictment includes two counts—one charg¬ 
ing embezzlement of $5,000 on October 1 and the other 
charging grand larceny of the same amount on the same 
date. Warriner. it is alleged, stole in all $643,000. 
A fire which followed an explosion in a celluloid factory on 
the top floor of 129-131 West Thirty-first street, New York, 
November 11. resulted in the death of two men. Many 
others were seriously burned. . . . Thirty-three auto¬ 
mobiles were destroyed November 15 by a fire which 
wrecked the large garage of the Oxford Automobile Com¬ 
pany in the northern section of Philadelphia. The loss, 
which will largely fall upon the individual owners of the 
machines, is placed at more than $75,000. The fire was 
caused by a lighted match dropped by a man who was look¬ 
ing for a leak in a gasoline tank. The firemen were 
greatly hampered in their work by the explosions of gaso¬ 
line tanks of the automobiles. . . . November 15 
Fargo. N. D., was snow-bound by the worst November 
storm in 13 years. No trains arrived over the Northern 
Pacific or the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad 
November 14, while Great Northern trains were all late. 
Street cars were tied up all day. Sixteen inches of snow 
fell, beginning at noon November 13, and, blown by a 
forty-mile gale, the snow was piled up in huge drifts. 
. . . Fire in the factory of the Gledhill Wallpaper Com¬ 
pany on West Thirty-fourth street, New York, November 
16, caused the death of one girl, and a property loss of 
about $500,000. . . . Blasting operations of the Mill¬ 
ard Construction Company, which is excavating for the 
Erie Railroad’s new open cut through the traprock forma¬ 
tion of the Bergen Hill in Jersey City, were temporarily 
tied up November 16 by the action of Prosecutor of the 
Pleas Pierre P. Garven’s office in arresting Arthur Loeb, 
vice-president of the construction company; John Hendrie, 
superintendent of the work, and nine workmen, on bench 
warrants charging them with conducting and maintaining 
a public nuisance. For two years blasting has been in 
progress and the surgical ward of the City Hospital has 
had many cases of maimed workmen, mostly aliens, who 
w-ere injured by flying rocks. Since January 1, according 
to data in the possession of Prosecutor Garven. 216 men 
have been hurt and many have been killed. Much property 
along the line of the cut has been damaged by showers 
of stone from blasts and many complaints have been made 
that the lives of the construction company's employees 
and of residents in the neighborhood of the cut were en¬ 
dangered almost daily. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—At the annual meeting of the 
American Rose Society it was decided to hold the next 
Spring exhibition at the Museum of Natural History, New 
York, March 16-18, 1910. 
Among the agricultural speakers at the Southern Com¬ 
mercial Congress, held at Washington, D. C-, December, 6-7, 
will be Hon. Willet M. nays. Assistant Secretary of Agricul¬ 
ture, who prepares a paper on “Neglected Agricultural Op¬ 
portunities in the South.” He is followed by Mr. G. W. 
Koiner. just re-elected as Commissioner of Agriculture for 
Virginia after 10 years service. It. S. Kellogg, Assistant 
Forester, who was for a long time Chief of the Office ot 
Wood Utilization and has traveled Southern territory more 
continuously than any other man in the service, will speak 
to the Congress on “perpetuating the Timber Wealth of 
the South.” The question of opening up empty lands of 
the South to settlers is outlined by Mr. Hugh MacRea, 
of Wilmington, N. C., who has made a number of successful 
efforts. The chairman of this session is Hon. Ilarvie 
Jordan, president of the Southern Cotton Association, 
and for some years president of the National Farmers’ 
Congress. 
Farmers of Burlington. County. N. J., incorporated at 
Trenton November 10, the Burlington County Farmers’ 
Exchange, having an authorized capital stock of $125,000. 
The organization, which includes many of the largest 
farmers in the county, will handle the products of the 
members and purchase in bulk for them all supplies needed 
on their farms. One of the purposes of the exchange is 
to save for the farmers the profits now made by commis¬ 
sion merchants. 
Prof. L. G. Michael, for a number of years chemist 
at the Iowa State College, leaves Ames December 1 for 
Russia, where he has a position with the Russian govern¬ 
ment. Professor Michael’s service will be in the capacity 
of special expert for organizing within the boundaries of 
territory of Bessarabia the selection of corn seed and to 
take charge of the management of the entire undertaking— 
toward the increase of the production of that plant, 
raising new breeds of same, mostly approaching natural 
conditions of Bessarabia. 
NATIONAL GRANGE MEETING. 
The forty-third annual session of the National Grange 
convened at Des Moines. Iowa, November 10; 27 States 
were represented. Wisconsin has been obliged to drop out 
of the representation on account of the falling off in 
Grange membership. One new Grange State has been 
added, namely. South Dakota. The secretary's report 
showed that 431 Granges have been organized the past 
year and 56 Granges have been re-organized. Granges 
organized: California. 1; Colorado, 13- Connecticut, 4; 
Delaware. 4: Idaho. 20; Illinois. 6; Indiana. 1: Iowa, 1; 
Kansas. 12: Kentucky. 2; Maine, 8; Maryland. 16; Massa¬ 
chusetts. 7: Michigan. 90; Missouri. 1 ; New Hampshire, 3; 
New Jersey. 8 ; New York, 39 ; Ohio. 37 ; Oregon, 12 ; Penn¬ 
sylvania. 33 ; Rhode Island. 3 : South Dakota. 14 ; Vermont, 
23: Washington. 71 : Wisconsin. 2; total, 431. Granges re¬ 
organized : Connecticut, 1; Delaware, 3; Illinois, 3; 
Kansas. 1 : Massachusetts. 4; Michigan. 8; New Y’ork. 2; 
Ohio, 10 ; Pennsylvania, 7; Vermont, 1; Washington, 3; 
West Virginia, 12; Wisconsin, 1; total, 56. The first 
business of importance was the presentation of the annual 
address by the national master, Hon. N. J. Bachelder, of 
Concord. N. II., who said that the total assets of the Na¬ 
tional Grange as reported one year ago, were $111,677.47, 
and the total assets October 1, 1909, were $115,821.29. 
This shows a net gain during the year of $4,143.82. 
Several State Grange treasurers had not paid the amount 
due October 1, which have been paid since, and the total 
net asset is about. $4,000 more than shown in the treas¬ 
urer's report for October 1. 
The Grange educational campaign for legislation creating 
a National Highways Commission, and making Federal ap¬ 
propriations to assist the various States in the work 
of road improvement, has been vigorously prosecuted during 
the pase year in all sections of the country. Mr. Bachelder 
referred to the opposition in Congress to postal savings 
banks and parcels post, and the work the Grange is doing 
for these reforms. lie also touched upon the Grange’s 
altitude toward ship subsidies, tariff and currency reform 
and the public schools. 
Reports of State Masters were presented, and showed a 
substantial growth of the Grange in numbers and influence, 
the Patrons Co-operative Bank of Olathe, Kansas, was 
Master of Kansas was of special interest. He said that 
the Patrons Co-operatice Bank of Olathe, Kansas, was 
making money, pleasing the stockholders and its patrons. 
Its stock is worth $300 per share, par value being $100, 
and none of it was on the market. Its capital stock is 
$50,000 paid up, $50,000 surplus, and its deposits amount 
to $435,692.96, secured by the guaranty fund of the 8iate 
of Kansas. It pays a dividend of 30 per cent per annum. 
The Patrons’ Fire and Tornado Association carries risks 
amounting to $10,000,000. The net gain from January 
1 to November 1 of this year was $1,660,000 in risks, 
or $200,000 more than was written during the first ten 
years of its existence. The average cost of insurance has 
averaged $2.00 per thousand dollars in the face of great 
losses. 
State Master Creasey, of Pennsylvania, made an able 
report. Concerning the Grange banking system in bis State 
he said that there are now 20 Grange banks with total 
assets of $4,476,116.04. Mr. Creasey criticized Secretary 
Wilson in respect to the figures which he gives out as to 
the value of our agricultural products, tie said that the 
Secretary counts the value of the grain crop and then 
adds to this the value of grain consumed on the farm, 
and again counts in the dairy, packing house and poultry 
products. He also criticized him for permitting the color¬ 
ing of oleo oils, lard and other fats which seems to be 
in the interest of the oleo people. 
Among the speakers were Dr. A. B. Storms, of Ames, 
president of Iowa State Agricultural College John Hamil¬ 
ton, of Washington, Farmers’ Institute specialist; Dr. .1. C. 
Whitten, professor of horticulture in Missouri Agricultural 
College at Columbia; Prof. Holden of Iowa State Agri¬ 
cultural College; John Sunburg, of Whiting, president of 
Iowa Corn Growers' Association ; Governor Carroll of Iowa; 
Sir Horace Plunkett, of Ireland; Hon. Henry Wallace, of 
Des Moines; Hon. Samuel J. Hill, of Seattle, Wash. ; Mrs. 
Elizabeth H. Patterson, of College Park, Md. The Na¬ 
tional Grange visited the Iowa State Agricultural College 
at Ames, Iowa, and were highly gratified to get a neat- 
view of the excellent work being done there under the able 
direction of President Storms. 
_ J. W. fiAItliOW. 
CHEESE NOTES FROM WATERTOWN, N. Y. 
The cheese season just ended in Northern New York 
goes on record as having made the highest average price 
of any season in the 36 years since a dairy board of trade 
was established in Watertown. The transactions on the 
Watertown Produce Exchange for the season of 1909-ag¬ 
gregated 172,376 boxes, valued at $1,416,929, with an 
average price of 13.7 cents per pound. Last year the 
sales were 185,833 boxes valued at $1,274,152, with an 
average price of 11.6 cents. Two years ago the average 
price was 12.4 cents. High prices have prevailed througn- 
out the season. The Watertown market opened May 1 
with sales at 13 cents, and closed November 5, with sales 
at 15% to 15% cents. The highest price reached during 
the season was 16 cents, and the lowest 11% cents. The 
market ruled steady throughout the season, closing at high 
point. 
The large and increasing business in shipping milk to 
New York City has made serious inroads into the butter 
and cheese industry of this section, but Watertown still 
holds the palm as being the largest inland cheese market 
in the world. At Lowville, Lewis County, is the largest 
cheese storage warehouse in the country, with a capacity 
of 130,000 boxes of cheese. In this city is another cheese 
storage plant with a capacity of 30,000 boxes, with another 
large storage at Boonville, Oneida County, all in Northern 
New York territory. The cheese is now stored largely 
at interior points and shipped out on the order of the 
purchaser. The interior markets now control, rather than 
New York, and Watertown largely dominates the cheese 
trade of the East. There has |been less speculative buying 
this season than usual, as speculators were afraid of the 
high prices. Buyers were satisfied with the usual commis¬ 
sion, preferring to lot their purchases pass on to other 
rather than hold for speculative purposes. As the market 
has developed they would have been safe in holding, but 
they considered the risks too great. Ever since the 
market opened in May with cheese warehouses empty, there 
has been a steady demand from jobbers and dealers to 
supply the consumptive needs of the trade. The amount 
now held in storage is considerably- less than one year 
ago, both by reason of a larger consumptive demand 
throughout the season and a reduced output. The quality 
of the October cheese this Fall has been exceptionally line, 
as there were no frosts to injure the pasturage until the 
last week in October. 
The Watertown Produce Exchange has a paid member¬ 
ship of 114 and celebrated the close of the season with a 
grand banquet, attended by 175 guests, on Friday evening, 
November 5. Prof. C. A. I’ublow. of Cornell College of 
Agriculture, Supreme Court Justice-elect Edgar S. K. 
Merrell, of Lowville, and Senator George II. Cobb were 
among the after-dinner speakers. December 14-17, the New 
Y’ork State Dairymen's Association will hold its thirty- 
third annual session in Watertown, and a large attendance 
of dairymen from Northern and Central New York is ex¬ 
pected. A large exhibit of dairy machinery will be a 
feature of the convention. l. l. allen. 
Our section, southwest Mississippi, is in a deplorable 
condition. That terrible pest, the boll-weevil, has de¬ 
stroyed from one-half to two-thirds of the cotton crop, 
and the people are at sea; don’t know what to do, as the 
prospect is for the trouble to be worse another year. We 
are having the most beautiful weather. 
Jefferson Co., Miss. it. f. ai. 
“FIFTEEN CENTS OR NOTHING.’’—It seems that the 
market for Canadian grapes has become badly demoralized. 
A1 sorts of plans for remedying the trouble have been 
suggested. The following plan, offered by the “Weekly 
Fruit Grower,” is radical, yet in line with what many 
growers are thinking: 
“To go on growing grapes from year to year with the 
prospect of selling at 10 cents, nine cents per basket is 
the height of nonsense—to tear out the vineyards already 
planted would entail heavy loss of time before another 
crop of any kind could bo got into hearing. The writer 
has come to the conclusion that the growers have the 
remedy in their hands and it is simply this, that every 
grower in the Province of Ontario would join an associa¬ 
tion. the hard and fast motto of which w-ould be ‘15 cents 
or- nothing.' Experience has taught us that the public 
pay 30 cents per basket for grapes just as readily as they 
pay 20 cents. Experience has taught us that in almost 
every market in Canada grapes will sell one week at 12 
cents, the next week at 16 cents, the week follow-ing at 13 
cents and the fourth week at f8 cents. This only proves 
that the public will pay for and consume grapes' at high 
prices just as well as at low prices. If the growers 
would set the prices at ‘15 cents or nothing.' everyone con¬ 
nected with the grape business would be benefited. The 
grower would be immeasurably benefited, the dealers and 
commission men would be benefited and the consumer would 
get his grapes at a reasonable price and would get all he 
wanted of them.” 
